Apple’s on-again-off-again car plans now seem very much in the ‘on’ camp, with none less than the company’s CEO speaking about Apple’s automotive ambitions.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly said autonomous driving systems were the tech giant’s main goal, but added that development will be challenging.

“We’re focusing on autonomous systems - it’s a core technology that we view as very important,” Cook said.

“[It’s like’] the mother of all AI (artificial intelligence) projects - probably one of the most difficult AI projects to work on.”

Apple has been rumoured to be considering its own car (dubbed the ‘iCar’) over recent years, but the company now looks more likely to team up with an existing carmaker. That said, Cook didn’t rule out an Apple car when questioned.

Everyone from General Motors to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has been linked with an Apple deal, but no official partnership on self-driving cars has been announced.